This invention relates to a connector, in particular, to a stacking type connector.
Referring to FIG. 17, a connector assembly 90 disclosed in JP 2015-185541A (Patent Document 1) is provided with a receptacle connector 92 and a plug connector 94. The receptacle connector 92 and the plug connector 94 are mateable with and detachable from each other in a height direction (a Z-direction). The connector, which is mateable with and detachable from the mating connector along the height direction in this way, is called a stacking type connector. The stacking type connector is mounted on a circuit board to connect the circuit board to another circuit board, for example.
As shown in FIG. 17, the receptacle connector 92 is provided with receptacle metal fittings 920 at both ends thereof in a longitudinal direction. Referring to FIG. 18, each of the receptacle metal fittings 920 has protruding portions 922 to realize electrical connection to and mating lock with a plug metal fitting 940 (see FIG. 17). Each of the protruding portions 922 is formed on an inner side surface portion 924 of the receptacle metal fitting 920 by a cutting process and a pressing process.
In the receptacle metal fitting 920 of Patent Document 1, the inner side surface portion 924 exists around the protruding portion 922. This inner side surface portion 924 is necessary and essential to form the protruding portion 922 by the cutting process and the pressing process. Accordingly, the receptacle metal fitting 920 is hard to reduce a size thereof in the height direction (or a mating direction). Therefore, the receptacle connector 92 of Patent Document 1 has a problem that a size (or a height) thereof in the height direction is hard to be reduced.